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Baribai
The Bāribai are a people on the southern edge of the known world, on a series of archipelagos deep within the Nakalani. Though their historical place of origin is unknown, the modern Baribai chiefdom arose on the Beni Pok, a series of islands in the middle of a great volcanic arc; over the decades, they came to expand across them, conquering a variety of their neighbors. The Baribai are known as barbarians in the central parts of the cradle, especially after the first reports of their ritual cannibalism became more widely known. Conquered by the Republic of the Daharai, the Baribai are now a curiosity more than anything else. Culture The Bāribai people worship a large quantity of god-like spirits as well as physical objects around them in nature, both called Ta'argi (both plural and singular). Each Ta'argi is master of itself. For example, the Sea is a Ta'argi for all oceans and seas while the Fish is a Ta'argi for all fish. People generally show Ta'argi respect as to prevent their negative effects on their lives (for example, angering the Tree Ta'argi may cause a tree to fall on your home, while angering the Storm Ta'argi may cause a large storm to hit). Physical objects (animals, the weather, etc) as well as ideas (war, intellegence, etc) each have a Ta'argi. Ta'argi are nearly infinite in quantity. Kedi-kedi are used to pay homage to Ta'argi. The Bāribai people believe they are able to absorb the power of any creature or man by eating it. This is so key to Bāribai culture that it is the massive portion of their creation story and the reason they are named the Bāribai. Specific body parts of a man or animal can be eaten to acquire their abilities (for example, a leg would be eaten for speed, an arm for strength, the loins for fertility, the heart for the soul, etc). It is not uncommon for a warrior to eat a worthy foe to gain his strength. The Bāribai will never eat a man for nourishment. Long ago, a people travelled a great distance across the sea and landed on some islands where they encountered the Bāri. Life was hard on the islands and the humans floundered while the Bāri continued to flourish. One day, a man, Ikut, in order to feed his starving family, began to hunt the Bāri, which was previously unheard of. Suddenly, Ikut and his family began to thrive. Ikut and his offspring were stronger, his wife able to birth more children, his elders lived longer, and the family's males became great warriors. This was attributed to the introduction of the soul of the Bāri to each of their own souls. As many other families died off, more people turned to hunting Bāri, and they too became like Ikut and his family. Those who survived from the soul of the Bāri went on to be the Bāribai. In respect to the creature that ensured their survival, men bear black stripes and patterns (Pitu) all over their bodies, which resemble those of the Bāri. Category:Baribai Category:Historical Countries